7: Chapter 7 The Origin of the World—Source Energy!

Chu Hong ate his meal while listening to Wang Suming's account.

His expression, however, remained calm.

The so-called Origin Awakening was a power level certification for Pioneers in this world.

As the name implied, Origin Awakening meant "opening up source energy cultivation," and the Origin Awakening Realm was divided into nine stages, with Gathering Energy, Condensing Core, and Breaking Boundaries further up...

Between each major realm, there was a terrifying, worlds-apart gap.

Furthermore, what Wang Suming said about Wu Gang's awakened initial skill being at the third stage of Origin Awakening did not mean that the current Wu Gang already possessed the strength of the third stage.

Wu Gang was still the same Wu Gang.

He still did not possess source energy within his body; this substance could only be naturally condensed after awakening an initial skill, obtaining official permission, and entering a mystic realm.

The more times one entered the mystic realm, the more source energy would accumulate within the body.

Moreover, according to the research of generations of Pioneers on Blue Star, the higher the awakening level of a person's initial skill, the higher their efficiency in naturally absorbing source energy during the early stages.

"Sigh, according to the people from the Pioneers Guild, that Wu Gang only needs to successfully evacuate alive five times at most to definitely condense source energy. I heard that recently, people from quite a few Pioneer Squads have been contacting Wu Gang, willing to provide him with escort..."

Wang Suming looked somewhat dejectedly at Chu Hong, who was clearly zoning out.

"Brother Hong... How about, how about we just forget it? We can't afford to provoke Wu Gang..."

Chu Hong, however, was noncommittal.

Instead, he put down his lunch box and asked with a serious expression, "Fatty, what level is your awakened initial skill?"

Wang Suming was baffled, but he still honestly and directly displayed the light curtain panel in front of him.

A 3D model of Wang Suming was rotating within the light curtain.

Right beside it, a line describing his initial skill was clearly marked.

[Stack]: Second-stage Origin Awakening operative skill. Passively increases inventory equipment slots by 20%, and identical items can be stacked and stored together, with a maximum of no more than 20 items per Stack.

Holy crap!

The moment Chu Hong saw this skill, his eyes instantly glowed with a greenish light as he looked at Wang Suming.

However, this look made Wang Suming misunderstand his intentions.

He sighed and shook his head with a wry smile.

"My skill looks pretty good on the surface, but even if I join a Pioneer Squad, I'd just be a porter with zero combat capability. Even if someone wanted to take me in, I wouldn't dare go."

"I've already thought it through. I won't go to the graduation exam a month from now; I'll just forfeit it. After graduating, I'll honestly go back and help my dad run the family hotel... Brother Hong, you can come too, and the two of us can..."

Wang Suming hadn't even finished speaking.

Chu Hong heavily slapped a hand onto his shoulder.

"Fatty, do you trust me?"

Delivering these calm yet resonant words, Chu Hong wore a look of solemnity and seriousness that Wang Suming had never seen before.

"This, Brother Hong, you, what are you doing? Of course I trust you! Didn't we grow up playing together since we were kids, even trading underwear to wear..."

"If you trust me, then go participate in the graduation exam a month from now! By then, the two of us will team up!"

Wang Suming's chubby cheeks trembled violently.

"Brother Hong, are you kidding me? The two of us? Going to the graduation exam?!"

"I heard that the mystic realm chosen for this year's graduation exam is even more dangerous than last year's 'Ice Wolf Cave'. The two of us together can't even scrape together a single offensive skill; wouldn't going there be courting death?"

His face turned pale, clearly frightened by Chu Hong's words.

However,

Chu Hong gently shook his head.

A faint smile curved across his solemn face.

"During the graduation exam, all of us examinees will be sent to the assessment base a day in advance. If you're willing to trust me, don't give up and slack off this month; prepare seriously."

"Prepare your weapons as you should, and prepare your armor as you should. Anyway, I am definitely going!"

Wang Suming stared blankly at Chu Hong.

While feeling a mix of complex emotions, remembering the arrogant and aggressive aura when Wu Gang and the others blocked their door just moments ago, a surge of youthful hot-blooded impulse involuntarily welled up in his heart.

"Fck! Isn't it just a mystic realm? Let's do it! I'll go back and ask my dad for a sum of money to buy a batch of heavy firepower directly..."

His eyes were bloodshot, looking like a gambler staking everything on the gambling table.

"I refuse to believe that if I bankrupt my family and stake all our net worth, blasting our way through with rocket launchers won't blast out a path to the heavens!"

Chu Hong was taken aback.

Hearing this dead fatty Wang Suming's battle strategy, he couldn't help but mentally curse a fierce holy crap in his heart.

For matters like the Pioneers' source energy graduation exam, external weapons naturally couldn't just be brought in whenever one wanted.

There were all sorts of regulations in place.

However, there was also a rule among these regulations: as long as it fit the requirements of the carrier's initially awakened skill, non-cheating forms of weapons and item supplies were permitted to be carried.

And what was that dead fatty Wang Suming's initial skill?

It was simply a giant backpack!

His backpack was huge, so he had the conditions to carry things others couldn't. Quite reasonable, right?

As someone with a purely supporting skill, bringing some weapons along for self-defense was completely reasonable, right?

His inventory slots could Stack items, so filling them all to the brim with bullets or artillery shells was completely reasonable, right?

In an instant, Chu Hong, who had originally intended to hype this guy up, didn't dare say anything more.

If he egged him on any further and made him sell the family hotel to buy a backpack full of rocket launchers or even a military tank, things would get wildly out of hand...

Chu Hong never had any physical issues to begin with.

After finishing his meal, he didn't continue staying in the school infirmary. After completing the formalities, he left the school together with Wang Suming.

It was one month prior to the pre-graduation source energy exam.

Some people were racing against time training in the training grounds or familiarizing themselves with their initially awakened skills.

Others, like Chu Hong whose initial skills had no grading, simply gave up in advance.

In such situations, the school personnel of Source Energy No. 1 High School wouldn't bother interfering.

After all, this was reality.

However,

What they didn't know was that after returning home and washing up, Chu Hong immediately lay down on his bed.

"Enter the Special Service Department!"

Returning to the familiar environment,

Chu Hong couldn't help taking a deep breath.

He looked at the light curtain containing all his information located at the center of the Special Service Department.

A look of expectant smile appeared on his face.

[Name]: Chu Hong

[Age]: 19

[Source Energy Level]: Stage 1 Origin Awakening

[source energy space]: 1 slot

Following that were specific data regarding physical fitness, such as running speed, jump height, and strength...

All of the data standards had visibly improved by more than double compared to when he had just activated the Special Service Department.

Especially that single slot of [source energy space]; although there was only one, it was enough to make Chu Hong feel happy.

Having this crotch insurance slot meant he possessed the capital for zero-cost loot runs.

Not only could he quickly familiarize himself with the map, but he could also bring out at least one slot of high-value items each time.

And the cost = 0!

"Enter the Investigation area 'Cliffside Epidemic Hospital'!"

His familiar field of vision went black. However, when roars resembling some kind of monster faintly drifted into his ears, Chu Hong opened his eyes, and the depths of his eyes instantly turned solemn.

Current spawn point:

The damaged protective wall opening on the northeast side of Cliffside Epidemic Hospital!

Chu Hong looked at the two three-story tall buildings in front of him, one on the left and one on the right.

On the left hand side was the [Exotic Beast Research Laboratory], which he remembered as the place where a crimson, ferocious tentacle monster once rushed out. On the right hand side was the [Sanatorium and Rehabilitation Center].

Inside both buildings, there was the mark of a large safe.